Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Butterworth

For one person, living is cheaper in Butterworth: $932 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Butterworth
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Butterworth Living Index

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Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Butterworth

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$932

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Butterworth

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Almaty and in Butterworth actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Almaty vs $932 in Butterworth, rent included.

Almaty $1,372
Butterworth $932

A couple spends around $2,142 per month in Almaty vs $1,402 in Butterworth, rent included.

Almaty $2,142
Butterworth $1,402

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Almaty vs $1,871 in Butterworth, rent included.

Almaty $2,913
Butterworth $1,871

Almaty costs about 47% more than Butterworth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 2% above the global median, while Butterworth is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.16 ₸5,949

$3.77 MYR 15.38

249.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.86 ₸20.3K

$19.66 MYR 80.2

128.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ₸4,022

$4.70 MYR 19.19

89.36%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₸1,469

$2.90 MYR 11.82

12.07%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 ₸639

$0.76 MYR 3.11

85.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.39 MYR 1.59

125.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₸1,513

$4.19 MYR 17.09

-20.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₸1,827

$4.30 MYR 17.56

-6.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₸762

$2.08 MYR 8.48

-18.75%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₸390

$1.04 MYR 4.26

-17.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₸917

$1.70 MYR 6.94

19.41%

Eggs

$2.43 ₸1,100

$2.17 MYR 8.86

11.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 ₸5,632

$13.81 MYR 56.4

-9.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 ₸3,033

$4.35 MYR 17.74

54.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₸4,905

$8.79 MYR 35.87

23.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₸813

$2.90 MYR 11.84

-37.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ₸1,018

$1.69 MYR 6.88

33.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₸1,314

$2.33 MYR 9.52

24.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₸1,243

$1.41 MYR 5.75

95.04%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸337

$1.05 MYR 4.29

-28.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₸248

$1.13 MYR 4.61

-51.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸732

$1.08 MYR 4.42

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₸474

$0.57 MYR 2.33

84.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 ₸1,167

$4.46 MYR 18.20

-42.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₸5,042

$19.33 MYR 78.9

-42.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$2.87 MYR 11.72

-57.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₸1,104

$4.90 MYR 19.97

-50.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₸117

$0.70 MYR 2.86

-62.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ₸9,957

$11.13 MYR 45.40

97.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₸611

$1.20 MYR 4.89

12.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸288

$0.37 MYR 1.52

72.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.16 ₸5,044

$4.87 MYR 19.88

129.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 ₸324

$0.89 MYR 3.63

-19.10%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$22.5K ₸10.2M

$42.2K MYR 172.3K

-46.67%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$34.2K MYR 139.5K

-11.49%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$91.8 ₸41.5K

$37.79 MYR 154

142.95%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$10.66 ₸4,820

$8.58 MYR 34.99

24.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.86 ₸8,072

$26.51 MYR 108

-32.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.3 ₸31.8K

$36.71 MYR 150

91.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.60 ₸12.5K

$6.90 MYR 28.15

300.00%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ₸3,064

$5.03 MYR 20.50

34.79%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$449 ₸202.9K

$297 MYR 1,211

51.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₸5.5M

$10.9K MYR 44.4K

11.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₸40.7K

$58.9 MYR 240

52.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 ₸21.3K

$35.71 MYR 146

31.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.1K

$81.9 MYR 334

73.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₸60.0K

$71.0 MYR 290

86.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 ₸363.7K

$410 MYR 1,672

96.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₸225.9K

$314 MYR 1,281

59.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₸645.9K

$772 MYR 3,149

85.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 ₸408.8K

$522 MYR 2,130

73.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,503 ₸1.1M

$2,053 MYR 8,376

21.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ₸704.7K

$1,101 MYR 4,493

41.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$870 ₸393.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

4.04

411.14%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Last update for Butterworth: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Almaty

$500 36.4%

Butterworth

$314 33.7% 37.2% $186

Groceries & Markets

Almaty

$250 18.3%

Butterworth

$257 27.6% 2.6% $6.4

Eating Out

Almaty

$205 14.9%

Butterworth

$113 12.1% 44.8% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Almaty

$185 13.5%

Butterworth

$111 12% 39.8% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Almaty

$120 8.8%

Butterworth

$73 7.8% 39.4% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Almaty

$84 6.1%

Butterworth

$47 5% 44.2% $37

Getting Around

Almaty

$28 2%

Butterworth

$17 1.8% 38.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Almaty versus $410 in Butterworth. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Almaty versus $20.00 in Butterworth. Groceries tell a different story – $250 in Almaty vs $257 in Butterworth – so Almaty wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Almaty

🇲🇾 Butterworth

🕒 Local time

08:04 8:04 AM

10:04 10:04 AM

2 h ahead of Almaty

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,400

339,132

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Almaty Butterworth 4,790 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Almaty
Butterworth

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Almaty vs Butterworth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 47%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,058 per month in Almaty and $1,398 in Butterworth. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Butterworth, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Almaty and $20.00 in Butterworth. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,372 in Almaty and $932 in Butterworth. That's a gap of about 47%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Butterworth, where all-in costs run around $932, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Butterworth it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Butterworth – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Butterworth. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Almaty makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.